One of my clients has been with me for a few years now, and her story still blows me away.

She had Harrington rods put in her spine as a child to treat scoliosis. Despite that, she had a long pro volleyball career, until chronic back pain forced her to retire. By the time we met, she was:

• In 4/10 pain on a good day, 8/10 on a bad one
• Having 2 flare-ups a week
• Relying on constant chiropractic care (weekly)
• Scaling back training intensity, frequency, and exercise selection to the point of almost no activities

In our first session, a simple hip rotation test triggered her symptoms. It was a rough start—but it told me a lot. That drill requires dissociation between the hip and pelvis. When internal rotation is missing, especially in someone with fused thoracic vertebrae, the lumbar spine tries to compensate. And it often does so painfully (as they say... any exercise can be a back exercise if you do it wrong enough).

Fast forward one year. We’ve been training together 1–2x/week, and here’s where she’s at:

• ​Split squats with 150 lbs on her back (hello compression!) for 3 sets of 5 reps each side
• That same trigger test? Now done with resistance bands, no pain
• No chiro visits in 6+ weeks bouts
• Plays A-tier co-ed rec volleyball games without issues
• Camped all summer, slept on uneven ground—no flare-ups
• Golfed 18 holes multiple times, symptom-free
• Regularly does these back extension variations pain-free

What changed? We built her capacity. Slowly, individually, and with intention. And now she can dissociate so well - HERE's one of my fave upper back mobilizers demo'd by Lauren.

If you're dealing with chronic back pain—or know someone who is—a movement assessment and a progressive, personalized strength plan can be game-changing. This isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about building trust in your body again.

Our Shoulder, Hip, and Foot Foundations programs are a great place to start if you want to test-drive a self-guided program with our philosophy and approach. These remote, rehab-forward programs are designed to give you the tools to move better and feel better—without guessing.

P.S. I’ll be in Vancouver on May 4th for the Half Marathon—and we’ve got 8 other clients racing too! If you’re going to be there, shoot me a message or come say hi at the start line. Would love to connect!

Yours in physiology,

Carla